Scar or disfigurement claim in El Paso: why timing matters and how to document it
Scars mature slowly, over roughly 12 to 18 months. Texas generally gives you only 2 years to sue, so the clock keeps running while it settles. Take dated photos now. Texas lists disfigurement as its own kind of damages. In El Paso, Texas Tech Physicians' plastic surgeons list scar revision.
Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (27)
How long before my scar is settled, and does that hurt my El Paso claim?
It can. Full maturing takes around 12 to 18 months. Surgeons often wait, because immature scars are prone to thickening and give poor results after revision. But the lawsuit deadline does not wait.
| When | What is happening | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 to month 3 | The wound heals and the scar forms | Photograph it weekly. Keep every doctor note |
| Month 12 to 18 | The scar matures | Ask a plastic surgeon what revision could do and what it costs |
| Month 24 | Generally the end of the time to sue | File before this date, even if you are still deciding on surgery |
That leaves little room after maturity. A lawyer can often file earlier and add the revision cost later.
What can fix a scar, and where can I get care in El Paso?
A scar often looks thicker, pinker, redder or shinier than the skin around it. Over time a scar fades, though it never goes away completely. Options listed for scars are surgical revision, dermabrasion, laser, injections, chemical peels and creams. Revision will improve a scar and not erase it.
Texas Tech Physicians' plastic surgeons list scar revision and lower extremity reconstruction, and burns, face trauma and keloids. Their Surgery Clinic needs a written referral from your primary or referring doctor. Appointments are at 915-215-5300. Surgeries are performed at University Medical Center.
Keloids need care. A keloid can grow larger after treatment, surgery most of all. Ask your surgeon about that risk before you sign.
Where do injuries that leave scars happen in El Paso?
Dog bites, burns and crashes are common sources. UMC's burn program opened in December 2025. In El Paso, all animal bites must be reported. Call 311.
- The owner may be ordered to quarantine the pet at an animal hospital for at least 10 days.
- The city says owners can be cited, depending on vaccination, registration, microchip and whether the pet was loose.
- The city tells owners they may face civil action if the person bitten pursues it.
- El Paso Animal Services is at 5001 Fred Wilson Ave., (915) 212-PAWS.
Photograph the bite, the dog and the place. Save the 311 report number. If a city vehicle or city property caused the scar, send the Mayor a sworn notice within 90 days.
What does Texas let me claim for a scar?
Texas lists disfigurement as its own noneconomic damages, apart from pain and mental anguish. Physical impairment is separate from disfigurement, and it counts only if its effect is substantial and reaches past the pain, anguish and lost pay. Nobody can name an amount without your records, and a scar's size does not set a price.
If the scar came from surgery or other medical care, different rules apply. Noneconomic damages against physicians are limited to $250,000 per claimant. The deadline is 2 years from the act or the end of treatment, and an expert report is due 120 days after each defendant answers.
For a child, Texas does not count the time as a minor against the deadline. A sworn city notice still has its own limit.
Questions
Should I wait for surgery before I talk to a lawyer?
No. The 2-year deadline keeps running. A claim can be filed first and updated as your care changes.
How do I photograph a scar?
Use the same light and distance each time, add a ruler or coin for size, and date every photo. Take them weekly at first, then monthly.
Can I claim a scar on my face or hands?
Disfigurement counts as its own damages in Texas. Where the scar is can matter to a jury, and your doctor can describe it.
Scars and disfigurement in El Paso? See if you are owed money.
A free case review. $0 upfront. No fee unless you win.
See if I’m owed moneySources (27)
- PubMed Central (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “it takes around 12-18 months for the scar to mature”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
- Texas Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 41.001(12), checked 2026-11-09. “physical pain and suffering, mental or emotional pain or anguish, loss of consortium, disfigurement, physical impairment”
- Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso, Plastic Surgery, checked 2026-11-09. “lower extremity reconstruction, scar revision”
- PubMed Central (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “Immature scars are prone to hypertrophy and give poor results after scar revision.”
- PubMed Central (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “scar revision will improve and not erase the scar”
- El Paso Animal Services, Animal Protection, checked 2026-11-08. “All animal bites must be reported. If you or someone else has been bitten, contact 311 to make a report.”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “Scars are often thicker, as well as pinker, redder, or shinier, than the rest of your skin.”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “Scars usually fade over time but never go away completely.”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “These include surgical revision, dermabrasion, laser treatments, injections, chemical peels, and creams.”
- Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso, Plastic Surgery, checked 2026-11-09. “Burns - Abdominal wall hernias - Face trauma - Chronic wounds - Keloids”
- Texas Tech Health El Paso, Surgery Clinic, checked 2026-11-09. “All patients presenting to the clinic must have written referrals from their primary or referring physician in order for surgical evaluations to be performed.”
- Texas Tech Health El Paso, Surgery Clinic, checked 2026-11-09. “For clinic appointments: 915-215-5300”
- Texas Tech Health El Paso, Surgery Clinic, checked 2026-11-09. “All surgeries are performed at University Medical Center of El Paso.”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “These treatments, especially surgery, sometimes cause the keloid scar to become larger.”
- UMC El Paso, UMC Burn Center, checked 2026-11-09. “Before the Burn Program opened in December 2025”
- El Paso Animal Services, Animal Protection, checked 2026-11-08. “quarantine your pet at an animal hospital for a minimum of 10 days if your pet bites a human”
- El Paso Animal Services, Animal Protection, checked 2026-11-08. “You could be cited for a number of violations”
- El Paso Animal Services, Animal Protection, checked 2026-11-08. “you may also face civil charges if the victim decides to pursue legal action”
- El Paso Animal Services, Animal Protection, checked 2026-11-08. “5001 Fred Wilson Ave. El Paso, TX | (915) 212-PAWS”
- City of El Paso City Attorney, Filing a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “shall within 90 days or within 6 months for good cause shown from the date the damage occurred or the injury was received, give notice in writing to the mayor”
- City of El Paso City Attorney, Filing a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “shall be sworn to by the person claiming damages or by someone authorized by him to do so on his behalf”
- Golden Eagle Archery, Inc. v. Jackson, 116 S.W.3d 757 (Tex. 2003), checked 2026-11-09. “the effect of any physical impairment must be substantial and extend beyond any pain, suffering, mental anguish, lost wages or diminished earning capacity”
- Texas Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 74.301, checked 2026-11-09. “shall be limited to an amount not to exceed $250,000 for each claimant”
- Texas Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 74.251, checked 2026-11-09. “no health care liability claim may be commenced unless the action is filed within two years from the occurrence of the breach or tort or from the date the medical or health care treatment that is the subject of the claim or the hospitalization for which the claim is made is completed”
- Texas Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 74.351, checked 2026-11-09. “not later than the 120th day after the date each defendant's original answer is filed”
- Texas Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.001, checked 2026-11-09. “the time of the disability is not included in a limitations period”